The whole concept of freezer cooking is fascinating to me. Scanning recipes upon recipes on Pinterest where people make 50 meals in one day seems a little extreme, but with a busy schedule and trying to save money by not eating out, I have been utilizing my freezer much more. I made a short Gourmet Gab: On the Go video to talk about my five freezer essentials, plus one bonus just for fun.

Chicken Breast
If there was one food that every person should have in their freezer, it would be chicken breast. They can literally be used for anything. Defrosted quickly and seasoned any way to go with almost any recipe. A recent trick of mine is to sauté some chicken breast with a generous dose of salt and pepper, slice them up and store in a tupperware in the fridge. I’ll grab one to add to pre-made Trader Joe’s salads for lunch in a pinch.

Seafood
One of my New Year’s Resolutions was to experiment cooking more with seafood. I love eating it, but it seemed intimidating to me to cook. I did some reading about how easy shrimp is to cook (less than 5 minutes) and how to cook frozen fish without thawing. One of my favorite new recipes is this 20-minute Spicy Sriracha Shrimp and Zucchini Lo Mein.

Soup or Stew
Sunday soups have always been a tradition for me. I will make a big batch of soup and then divide it up into containers for ready-to-heat dinners. Sometimes I can only take a few days of the soup before it gets too repetitive. Freezing one or two of the containers ensures I have a back-up dinner ready, but don’t have to eat the same meal five nights in a row. Try this White Chicken Chili…it is the bomb.

Vegetable Medley
Frozen vegetables are one of the easiest ways to add nutritional value to your meals. While there is debate about frozen vegetables retaining their nutritional profiles, I am an advocate for eating vegetables that were frozen is better rather than not eating vegetables at all. Toss them in a stir fry or roast them in the oven. Either way, you can go wrong.

Fruit
While I don’t currently have a blender in my tiny temporary kitchen in Houston, I will be investing in a good one for my next apartment. Adding frozen bananas or a berry medley to the blender with some Greek yogurt, honey and even a few handfuls of spinach makes for an easy on-the-go breakfast smoothie packed with nutrients. There’s really no ideal recipe for smoothies – just try different combinations to find your favorite.

Bonus
Watch the Gourmet Gab: On the Go video above to find out what my #6 essential to have in the freezer is. Let me preface it with this advice: “Everything in moderation.”

Love food. Love self. Love life.
Gabriela